His Highness the Aga Khan to receive UCalgary honorary degree

University of Calgary Chancellor Deborah Yedlin and President and Vice-Chancellor Elizabeth Cannon are pleased to announce that His Highness the Aga Khan will be the recipient of an honorary degree at a special ceremony next month.

Bestowed upon individuals whose notable achievements and community service merit recognition, the honorary degree is UCalgary’s highest academic honour.

“The University of Calgary has had strong ties with His Highness the Aga Khan and his social development and cultural networks for decades,” says Chancellor Yedlin. “From international partnerships and exchanges to programs launched right here in Calgary that bring our communities together, so many of us have benefited from his vision for a more integrated and understanding society around the globe.”   

“As someone who has dedicated his life as a world leader, His Highness has fostered initiatives focusing on health, education, cultural and economic revitalization and development, as well as the advancement of pluralism, civil society and protection of the environment,” says President Cannon.

“His leadership serves as an example of how we can all work together to support social and human development, both at home and around the world."

His Highness the Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community. The Ismaili Muslims are a global community whose members, comprising a wide diversity of cultures, languages and nationalities, live in Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and North America.

Over the past six decades, His Highness has been deeply engaged with the development of countries around the world and improving the quality of life of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. He is the founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), an institutional endeavour that realizes the social conscience of Islam. AKDN consists of private, non-denominational agencies working in over 30 countries around the world. 

The University of Calgary recognizes extraordinary achievement in community, national or international services through the awarding of the honorary degree. The Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, is awarded for contributions in any field, including the arts, business, the professions, scholarly pursuits and voluntary activities.

Attendance at the private ceremony is by invitation only; the program will also live-streamed.